1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to positioning aids. More particularly, the invention concerns a bendable infant support, having a soft, spongy foam body for supporting a patient such as an infant. Once formed into the desired shape, the support maintains its shape until reformed by the user.
2. Discussion of the Invention
As infants reach an age where they first start to roll over and move about, they can suffer serious injury if they roll off beds or the like, and if they are not otherwise constrained in some manner to a safe location. In the past, makeshift expedients such as pillows, cushions and like articles have been placed around the infant to attempt to constrain the infant to a particular location. Such expedients are unsatisfactory for many reasons, not the least of which is that they can be very dangerous if they shift into a position where the infant's face is covered in a manner to restrict free breathing. Also, such expedients are generally ineffective in constraining unwanted movement of the infant since the supports themselves tend to easily shift.
The unique support of the present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art, makeshift expedients discussed in the preceding paragraph by providing a novel, easily bendable, cushioned support that is weighted to stay in place. The novel support of the present invention includes a soft foam body within which a hermetically sealed, bendable rod is encapsulated. The foam body is covered with a disposable cover, which is, in turn, covered with a soft outer cloth cover which can be removed and washed. The internally disposed, bendable core permits the support to be easily formed into any desired shape so that the soft body portion thereof can be closely formed about the infant. For example, the body can be formed in a manner to surround and support the infant in a side-lying position, or alternatively it can be formed to create a hammock-like support to constrain the infant in a supine position. Due to the novel character of the bendable rod, the body will retain its shape until manually reshaped by the caregiver. The substantial weight of the internally-disposed, bendable rod tends to effectively resist shifting of the support as the patient moves. Because of the novel design of the device it is readily usable with both infants and adults and uniquely provides support to the patient at strategic locations.